


Atonement

by handmaidofathena



Category: Sarah Jane Adventures
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:34:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29040201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/handmaidofathena/pseuds/handmaidofathena
Summary: After she signs the adoption papers, Sarah Jane picks up the phone to an old friend. Harry Sullivan. Adopting Luke changes her life in more ways than one, and brings Harry back to her.
Relationships: Sarah Jane Smith/Harry Sullivan
Comments: 9
Kudos: 8





	Atonement

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this idea came out of the blue. During lockdown 3.0 (or is it 4.0? I've lost track), I've started rewatching SJA as a way to keep myself occupied while we're stuck inside. This idea came to me after watching the Invasion of the Bane and stuck with me while rewatching the first and second season. Other than when Sarah Jane suggests the name 'Harry', he isn't mentioned. The only other time he's mentioned (from memory) is Death of the Doctor. How different would the series have been with Harry in it? 
> 
> This chapter is more of a prequel to set the scene. I think I'm going to take it one episode at a time, potentially in multiple chapters depending on what happens. I'm still sketching out the plotline for this but sometimes the best inspiration comes to you mid-way through a chapter.

He was the first person she called.

“I have a son,” Sarah Jane said, listening as the line went silent for a moment.

“You have a _what,_ old girl _?_ ” Harry asked, his voice filled with the type of confusion that rarely came his way. “A son, Harry, I just adopted him,” She added, waiting as the line once again went silent. 

Harry had been the first person who came to her mind after she signed the adoption papers. Harry, _always_ Harry, even when he was halfway around the world. 

It took Harry a moment to recover. “I didn’t know you were looking to adopt,” He replied, knowing that he could count the number of times he had seen Sarah Jane with a child on one hand. Harry always knew that Sarah Jane would be a wonderful mother, but he had thought those days were behind her. 

“What can I say, he found me,” Sarah Jane said, and Harry could practically hear the smile in her voice. 

UNIT only allowed communication to the outside world through a secure line, which means video calling was impossible. “What’s he like?” Harry asked, trying to build a picture of the boy in his head.

”He’s so special Harry, he sees the world like he’s looking at it for the first time. Oh, and he’s got brains on him like nothing else…. He reminds me of you actually,” Sarah Jane revealed, leaning back in her office chair as she closed her eyes. She could picture Harry sitting at her desk, in some dark corner of a UNIT office, his Earl Grey going cold beside him.

Harry put his elbows on his desk, trying to imagine Sarah Jane with a son. It wasn’t as difficult as he thought it might be. "What’s his name?” He asked, glancing up at the clock on the opposite wall. Any minute now he was sure someone from the lab would come knocking on the door, looking for his help. It was inevitable every time that Sarah Jane called. They never got more than a few minutes together on the phone.

“Luke,” Sarah Jane whispered, thinking of how she had almost called the boy after the man instead. That would have taken some explaining. “He’s 13, head of floppy brown hair, he’s almost as tall as me already,” She said, helping Harry create a picture of the boy in his mind.

“Wouldn’t be hard, old girl,” Harry chuckled, shaking his head as he imagined the boy standing beside Sarah Jane. Would they look like a normal mother and son? Would Luke fill the void that he knew was there in her life? 

“Give it some time and he’ll be taller than you, Harry,” Sarah Jane retorted, opening her eyes to glance at the photograph in her hand. It was one that the Brigadier had taken of them at a UNIT function that Harry had talked her into going to with the promise of a five-star meal and endless alcohol. He was kissing her cheek as she smiled at the camera. Sarah Jane wasn’t sure when the last time was that either of them had looked so carefree. 

A knock sounded at the door, and Harry resisted the urge to pretend he wasn’t there.

“I’ve got to go, Sarah Jane,” He said, his voice dropping as he stood up from his seat. “I think they need me in the lab,” Harry explained, sighing to himself as he shook his head.

“Oh, okay,” Sarah Jane replied, struggling to hide her disappointment. “Call me the next time you’re free,” She said, knowing that it could be weeks before they would get a chance to speak to one another again. “Stay safe,” She added, knowing that her friend could be anywhere in the world doing God only knows what.

“Speak soon, old girl,” He said, waiting a moment before he put the phone back onto the receiver as the knock sounded at the door once more. “Just a moment!” Harry called, putting on his jacket before heading to the door.

As he walked past the calendar on the wall, Harry thought it was time that he finally took some of his holiday time. 


End file.
